Icy Bliss
by AsamisHair
Summary: Who says that the man was the one who had to make the woman the betrothal necklace? Eska was perfectly capable.


Icy Bliss

_Written for AvatarWan1 for winning my headcanon competition on Tumblr_

"What'cha doing there?" Bolin asked Eska, seeing her fiddling with something he couldn't see.

"Nothing of consequence" She replied, thrusting her hand into the deep pockets of her robes, effectively hiding the object.

Deciding not to linger on it, Bolin scrambled to remember what he was doing before he had been distracted. "Oh! That's right, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight, you'know, just you, and me, alone…with no one else there…"

"That would be enjoyable" She said, barely managing to hide the faint smile that crossed her lips. Bolin however, caught it. He enjoyed seeing her smile. Ever since they had moved to the North together, she had started to show a bit more emotion toward him. Once he told her how he felt about her, she opened up and told him that she held deep affection for him too, but she had been sheltered her entire life and was unable to properly show it.

"Great!" He exclaimed, her earlier behaviour all but forgotten. "I'll meet you here in 2 hours?"

"Yes, that timeframe should be sufficient" She replied, returning the kiss Bolin lent over to give her

"Okay, see you soon!" He said energetically, all but running out the door in a fit of excitement, leaving Eska alone.

She reached inside her robes and pulled out the ribbon she had been fiddling with. On it was a blue stone, her families crest carefully carved into it.

She had been getting better at showing her emotions around Bolin and had been studying the way relationships normally worked. She had read that the male was the one who gave the female a betrothal necklace, to signify their love and willingness to stay with each other forever.

She had read about marriage, and decided she liked the concept. She needn't get jealous when Bolin interacted with other women, because she would know that he belonged to her and she belonged to him. She would also be able to share a house with Bolin after their matrimony,

The only part she didn't like, was where it stated that the man made the woman the betrothal necklace. Was it implying women weren't capable of making their own? What should it matter who made it, as long as the couple loved each other and wanted to get married? That's why, with some help from Desna, she had managed to procure a fine betrothal necklace.

She had been planning on taking Bolin out for dinner tonight anyway, so she couldn't help but smile when he suggested the same. His enthusiasm was something she had not been exposed to often in her life, and she found it endearing. Such a different personality was something she thought she would push away, but she had found herself drawing closer to him.

After making sure everything about the necklace was perfect, she went about getting ready for their dinner. She took more care than usual, knowing the importance of the night. She picked a set of blue robes to wear before fastening her hair in its usual style and painting her lips a slightly darker colour.

Her eyes caught a small animal sitting beside her bed. Her heart warmed as she picked it up, remembering when she had received it. When she first met Bolin, he had won her this small lemur, and she had kept it close to her heart ever since.

Caught in remembrance, she lost track of time and jumped when she heard Bolin's voice calling for her, alarmingly close. His head poked through her open door and saw her absentmindedly stroking the stuffed lemur.

Placing the lemur back, she turned to see Bolin with a wide smile. She knew he was touched she had kept the prize, and she fought the urge to smile back at him.

"You ready? He asked with a crooked grin. He had donned smart, Earth Nation garb for the event.

"Yes" She stated, placing her hand in the crook of his arm and allowing him to lead her out the door. She felt the small stone in her pocket as they arrived at a small restaurant, almost empty.

The atmosphere was quaint and the food tasted reasonably well. Bolin's eyes had nearly bugged out of his head when he saw they served tradition food from almost all the other nations, and promptly ordered something that wasn't frozen or from the ocean.

"Is your meal satisfying?" She enquired, pushing her food around with her fork before placing a small amount in her mouth. Bolin's reply was muffled as his mouth was stuffed, but he was nodding furiously.

Eska delved into her deep pockets to retrieve some money to pay for the meal when they had finished, but Bolin waved her down, claiming he would pay

"I have sufficient currency" she insisted, placing her money on the table. Bolin went to argue with her, but thought better of it and thanked her.

After their meal was payed for, Bolin suggested they go for a walk. The moonlight bathed everything in a gentle glow, making the icy landscape even more beautiful.

"Oh look, it's a full moon" Bolin pointed out, reaching down to pick a fragile icelily from the ground. "Here" He placed it in her hand

"Thank you" she replied as she looked at the beautiful flower. She found herself wondering how she was going to go ask him if he wanted to marry her

"I have an item for you too" Eska placed the hand that wasn't holding the flower into her pocket, her fingers closing around the stone

"You didn't have to get me anything" He insisted, a slightly panicked look on his face. He hasn't really gotten her anything, he had only picked the icelily

"I didn't" She said, holding out the blue necklace

"I am…confused" He stated flatly, looking at Eska.

"It is yours if you wish to propose to me. Then, it will belong to me"

"Oh…um…as in a marriage proposal?" He asked with wide eyes, not believing what he was hearing

"I believe that you are aware of the customs my tribe upholds" she said, eyeing him.

"You…you really want to get married?" He asked with a smile, Eska didn't reply, but that was all the reply Bolin needed. He took the necklace from her hand, and stood behind her.

Placing an arm of either side of her neck, he held it where it would lie if she wore it "Eska, will you marry me?" He asked, not able to manage the wide grin on his face

"I will" She said as he tied the necklace, letting it fall over her robes. She turned around and Bolin saw the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Isn't it your tribe's tradition for the man to make the necklace?" He asked, his hand behind his head

"I believed I was capable" She said, receiving a laugh from the man she was now engaged to

"That's good, because I have no idea how to make one. You probably would have rejected me because the stone looked so bad!" Laughing, he lent down to kiss her, feeling the happiest he had ever felt, here, with Eska, in icy bliss.


End file.
